Showdown at Casa Diablo Alternate Ending
by ckorkows
Summary: This is an alternate ending for Showdown at Casa Diablo...what happens when the explosion doesn't occur? A little bit of S/G, rated M because of some explicit details...other than that it's T. R&R please! UPDATED!


_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. I do not own the main plot to the Showdown at Casa Diablo. I don't claim them, so don't sue me.**_

_**Hey all, another one-shot, this one is an alternate ending to Casa Diablo. It starts when Ramon comes in after recovering from his hangover. There's a little bit of S/G in here.**_

_**Enjoy the Ride, **_

_**Ckorkows**_

_**Showdown at Casa Diablo: Alternate Ending**_

"You look like shit Ramon," Sydney's voice was slurred as she shook the fuzzy effects of almost sleep.

Ramon motioned for Pepe to get Alex, speaking softly as his eyes undressed the handcuffed woman, "Very clever last night…but the time for games is over."

Alex fought against Pepe, a feeling of dread settling over her, "You touch her, you're a dead man!"

Ramon smiled, everyone in the room knew that Alex's threat was an empty one. Sydney mused at her friend's brave words as Ramon looked down on her, they were the very sentiment she herself had uttered to Ortega the day before…only she had the man-power to back it up. She snarled in Ramon's direction, making it clear that she would fight him.

Ramon's eyes flared with fire and he crossed the room in less than five seconds, leaving Sydney no doubt that she had thoroughly pissed off the Mexican. He joined her on the bed, pressing his hard, ruthless body along her length, his hands resting on the curve of her hip and her collar bone as he spoke, his words dripping with acid, "Oh," he responded to Alex, his cold dark eyes never leaving Sydney's, "I intend to do more than touch her…"

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Walker lit the fuse, and ran behind the trees for cover with his two friends. Seconds turned into minutes and the building didn't blow…something was wrong. As he started to stand to go check out whatever malfunction his distraction had, a rapid smattering of bullets flew over his head, along with the voice of a guard, "Over here!"

Walker dropped down and returned fire, glancing at Gage and Trivette to make sure they were okay. Both Rangers were carefully aiming their weapons as another group of guards joined the first, peppering their hiding place with bullets. Gage pulled out one of the autos he had taken off of the guards and returned fire with a fervor, letting loose short spurts so as to conserve the limited supply of ammo. All three Rangers realized that their surprise attack was no longer a surprise, and that meant that Sydney and Alex could have a limited number of minutes left on their lives.

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Sydney arched her back in an attempt to avoid Ramon's fingers; her eyes remained on his, hostile and fearless, as his hands cruelly caressed her body. Alex fought her bonds and tried to speak out, only to have a rag shoved into her mouth. Pepe held onto her, watching with a hint of jealousy as his boss felt up the luscious brunette.

Gunfire tore through the moment and Ramon raised his head, glancing out the window to see nothing unusual going on. Smiling as the war continued outside, he took his hand off of Sydney's chest and reached into his pocket, "It sounds like your Ranger friends made it to the party after all…too bad they will miss the main event."

Alex watched, horrified, as Ramon whipped out a long, slender blade, much like the one Ortega had killed that man with the night before. He trailed the cold tip of it along Sydney's skin, tickling the insides of her arms before slipping the flat of the blade under one of her straps, "I decided I don't like this dress after all."

Sydney held still, deathly still, as the blade traversed her skin. When he yanked it up and away from her she felt the strap of her dress give way and clenched her jaw, she would not satisfy him with a response. Alex was still struggling beneath the restraining hands of Pepe, and Sydney had a momentary debate over asking Ramon to remove her friend from the room. Then she remembered Ortega…if Alex was out of her sight there was no telling what Ortega might do to her. She glared at the man as he slipped his blade beneath her second strap; her job was to protect Alex, even if it meant having a witness to her disgrace.

Ramon tore through the second strap, lust overriding his senses as he realized that there was nothing that could stop him now. Sitting up he tossed the knife over his head, placing his hands on both of Sydney's breasts as he looked at the loyal door guard, "If anyone comes near this room. Kill them."

The man nodded, the subtext was there, this was no longer Ortega's house - he would not interfere in his brother's affairs anymore. The guard stepped outside and partially closed the door behind him.

Sydney's heart was beating fast, her mind working a million miles a minute, she couldn't just sit there and take this, but there really wasn't any way out. As the gunfire in the distance increased in intensity she could only hope that Walker would get there before it was too late. Her mind snapped back to reality as Ramon ripped her dress down the middle, his mindless lust paving the way for all those other evil emotions. Sydney squirmed beneath his hands as they finished tearing her dress, ripping it from her body as though it had never been anything more than scrap fabric.

Ramon didn't know patience, barely two weeks in jail and he was already lusting after a woman as though he were a fourteen year old boy…he couldn't help himself as his fingers traced paths on the woman Ranger's slightly caramel skin. They ran over the thin fabric covering her breasts, following the sensuous curve beneath the bra-line toward her solar plexus and on down to her naval. Sydney remained still, waiting for the opportune moment to fight. She knew it was useless to struggle and waste her energy so she gritted her teeth and looked, steely-eyed, at the man as his middle finger dipped suggestively into her navel.

Alex couldn't remove her eyes from the scene, even if Pepe weren't holding her head steady to watch the degradation of her friend there was something about the scene that had her glued. Perhaps it was the ironic twist of fate that it was Sydney beneath Ramon's hands and not Alex beneath Ortega's that had her drawn to watch. She could almost place herself in Sydney's skin, could almost feel the hot trail of Ramon's fingertips as they neared her bikini line. Alex watched as Sydney's back arched and twisted when Ramon plunged his fingers beneath her underwear. She observed as the cold, unyielding look in her friend's eyes flickered momentarily with fear before she twisted again; dragging her knee up and into Ramon's side as he plunged his fingers into her most intimate place.

Sydney's knee connected with the soft flesh of his side and Ramon's finger's quickly evacuated their previous occupancy, curling painfully around Sydney's thigh and splitting her legs as his eyes turned dark with fury. Sydney's breathing became more rapid as Ramon squeezed, leaving finger-shaped bruises on her smooth skin even as he cursed in his native tongue. Before she could react, his other hand grabbed her chin, yanking it up off of the bed, torquing her shoulders awkwardly as he brought his face within a breath of her own.

His words were punctuated with the stench of tequila, "Do you fight like a man? No."

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Walker, Gage and Trivette were moving backwards, dragging their opponents into the small copse of trees. They conserved ammo by only firing off rounds to let their attackers know where they were. They wanted to draw them out, spread them thin, and then attack. Quietly of course. Walker was eager to get down to the main house and deal with Ortega, but he knew that he couldn't make stupid mistakes now. Any wrong move meant his or his Ranger's lives, and they needed the man-power to get the girls home safely.

Gage was barely holding back his fury, in his mind he kept seeing horrible images of his partner lying dead on the floor. He could almost hear her voice as she called out for him to save her, then accused him because he came too late. He was panting hard as he blasted off another round at one of the stray guards. The sharp crack of his gun was punctuated with the dull sound of bullet piercing flesh and the man fell dead where he stood. Gage followed Walker back a little further, waiting for the silent command to disperse. Trivette was to his left, letting loose a couple of rounds to bring some guards over his way.

As the men fought they heard a sound that sent a chill down their spines. In the distance, from the direction of the house, came the distinct sound of two consecutive gunshots. Followed by silence.

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Ortega had been in his study when he heard the gunshots. Realizing that the Rangers had indeed made it past every obstacle, he pocketed his favorite knife and headed toward the girl's room, intent on leaving Walker a sight that would haunt him for the rest of his life. When he rounded the corner he saw one of his brother's men standing guard and hailed him.

"Leon…what is my brother doing in there?"

Leon turned and smiled apologetically at the older man, releasing two rounds into his chest before Ortega knew what hit him. As the man fell dead to the floor Leon peaked his head into the room to see Ramon violently ripping the bra off of Sydney's chest. He met Pepe's eyes and sent him the silent 'okay' before returning to his post, his pants becoming uncomfortably tight as he envisioned the caramel beauty who was handcuffed to the bed.

Ramon heard the two gunshots and knew that Leon had taken care of whoever had come to interrupt him. He let his lust override his fury and tore the lacy bra from Sydney's chest, growling appreciatively at the seductive curves before lowering his mouth to taste her hot flesh. Sydney dropped her head back onto the pillow, biting back a yelp as Ramon sunk his teeth into her tender breast. She glanced over at Alex and noticed that her friend was staring at her body. Sydney smirked, thinking, almost ruefully, that it should have been Alex in this position. The moment she thought that she hated herself and her body tensed up beneath Ramon's painful administrations.

Better her than Alex…better her than Alex…Walker would kill her if anything happened to Alex. Sydney shot her friend another look and caught her blue eyes, silently telling her that everything was okay, even as she felt her own heart sinking. The gun-fire in the distance had died down, and no doors had been broken down to save them. Sydney hid her fear and hopelessness from her friend by slamming one of her elbows into Ramon's temple. Ramon jerked his head up, loosening his grip from her thigh, and Sydney quickly kneed him in the side again, allowing her defiant self to override any emotions.

Ramon wrestled with her for a few moments before he once more gained the upper hand, driving a fist into her stomach to wind her. He sat back to admire his prize as she gasped for air, her eyes struggling to re-gain focus.

Ramon leaned over her, letting her naked breasts brush his shirt front as he whispered into Sydney's ear, "If you want your friend to live…you will stop fighting me."

Sydney froze and melted, relaxing her body muscle by muscle until she was nothing more than a rag doll. For Alex. She told herself, as Ramon moved his hands to his belt. I cannot let anything else happen to Alex.

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Walker's plan was working; the guards were forced to spread out, making them easier targets for the Rangers. As they drew them further into the woods, they returned to stealth methods, coming up behind a target and slamming the butt of their gun into their temple, or choking them until they blacked out. This strategy allowed the Rangers to remain wraith-like in their attacks, leaving the guards to feel vulnerable and nervous. Within a few more minutes, the Rangers were able to subdue all of the guards.

Walker and Gage took off toward the house, neither one looking back at Trivette as he restrained the men for the authorities. They had managed to get quite far from the house and they pumped their legs faster and faster as urgency overtook reason.

Walker reached the front door first, turning to look at Gage and direct him to skirt the building as he slipped, quietly, into Casa Diablo. It was quiet…too quiet almost, and that made Walker nervous. He carefully cleared every room, his training overriding panic even as he pictured the dead bodies of his fiancé and his friend. Each room was empty. Even Ortega's study. And Walker grew more and more anxious as he neared the back of the house.

Gage raced around the house, carefully ducking beneath and scoping out windows as he ran toward the back door. His heart was pounding as he thought about his partner, everything she meant to him, and how lost he would be without her. He realized that she had come to mean more to him over the past year, had come to be an integral part of his life both inside and outside the office. Breathing erratically, Gage stopped beneath a window, trying to calm the part of his brain that was screaming 'She's Dead!'. He wouldn't think that way…he couldn't think that way. He could not give up on the best friend he'd ever known. Slowly he stood, peeking over the windowsill into the room like he had with every other window. Only this time, he saw Ramon. Fury pushed the blood through his veins as though his heart was a breaking dam. Standing up to full height, Gage raised the automatic he still held in his hands and brought it crashing down into the glass.

Walker saw Ortega lying on the floor and felt a momentary rush of relief as the two bullet holes glared up at him. Peaking around the corner, he noticed a man leaning against the wall holding an automatic. A guard. Walker drew his 1911 just as he heard the distinct sound of shattering glass coming from inside the room. The man turned and kicked in the door, his weapon ready to kill, and Walker jumped out from his hiding spot, sending three rounds directly into the man's skull before he could even pull the trigger. Racing down the hall he turned into the room and was shocked at what he saw.

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Ramon withdrew his belt completely and whipped the cool leather across Sydney's naked flesh, raining down several of blows on her chest as he created a criss-cross pattern in reddening welts. Sydney bit her lip to keep from crying out, even as she heard Alex whimper at the harsh sound. Ramon quickly grew tired of this and looped his belt around his victim's neck like a collar, pulling hard to cut off some of her air supply as he laughed wildly.

"See. I'm in control. Do you need to breathe? It's up to me. If you behave I will let you breathe...I will let your friend live…" bending over her gasping body, Ramon once more whispered into Sydney's ear, "But first…I will get my dessert."

He held onto the belt with one hand and ruthlessly thrust the fingers of his other hand into her, noticing how she bit off a cry as he brutally explored her dry depths. Eager to her her cry out, to scream, he yanked harder on the belt and she let out a muffled cry, her brown eyes losing their cool as he methodically reduced her oxygen supply. Ramon looked over his shoulder at Alex Cahill, his dark eyes smiling at her as he thrust his fingers in and out of Sydney's sex.

His voice was ragged with lust and power, "See your friend now? Not so tough anymore is she? Reduced to a useless doll…she's only here to pleasure me…and you'd better pray she does it well, or you'll be finishing the job."

Alex's eyes were as big as saucers as she watched the Mexican cruelly rape her friend with his fingers. When Sydney was just about ready to black out he let loose on the belt and grabbed her breast with his hand, bruising her flesh just for the fun of it before moving his hand to his pants. Alex closed her eyes as the sound of a zipper roared through her ears, unable to watch the terrible scene any longer even as Pepe forced her to face it. She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry for her friend, cry because Ramon had taken away her dignity, taken away her fight, and turned her into a fuck-toy. Even behind closed eyes, Alex could see the bruises and welts raised up on her friend's body, it stung, but Alex held back the tears, knowing that Sydney would not want her pity.

Alex let out a stifled whimper that had Ramon looking back at her as he prepared himself to enter Sydney, "Open your eyes Bitch! Watch as I dominate your lady Ranger…"

Alex's eyes flew open at the exact same moment that Gage's gun crashed through the panes of the window. She struggled against Pepe's grasp as the handsome young Ranger came roaring in. Behind her, she heard the door slam open and prayed that the gunshots zipping into the room wouldn't hit Gage. Pepe gripped Alex harder, squeezing her shoulders with one arm as he groped for his gun.

Alex heard another crash behind her and felt Pepe being dragged off of her, she turned her head to see the red-blond hair of her beloved as he pummeled the smaller man, "Walker!"

Ramon rolled off of Sydney and grabbed his knife, dodging the belligerent man as he charged through the broken window. Ramon circled the bed, careful to keep the naked woman between him and the other man. Too late he realized that nothing could keep the man away from him and Gage flew over the bed to tackle him to the ground.

Mindless of the blade that went spinning away from them, Gage beat his fists into the man's chest and face, his knee driving ruthlessly into Ramon's groin as the other man cried for mercy. He was unconscious of the beating he was delivering, his mind was stuck on the picture of Ramon raping his partner, the raised welts on her flesh and bruises that marred her beautiful, smooth skin. It drove him wild and Gage quickly subdued the man. Pummeling him into unconsciousness he continued to hit the man, completely mad now, until he heard a ragged cry from the bed behind him. That cry cut through his rage and turned him from violent berserker back to his normal self in less than a second.

Sydney had prepared herself for Ramon's entry, readying herself for the pain by biting her tongue so she wouldn't cry out at it. Ramon had been ready to thrust when the crashing window distracted him. Sydney's strength and resolve crumbled as Gage flew across her, launching himself onto Ramon with such force that they fell from sight. She didn't have the strength to watch, and simply listened to the distinct sound of fists connecting with flesh. She was vaguely aware of the fact that Walker had arrived too, and couldn't help but let a sigh of relief escape her, although it quickly turned into a sob as she realized how she must look, and how close she had come. As she bit back a second cry, Gage was at her side, cradling her naked body to his chest and hiding her from view even as he kissed her hair and whispered soothing words into her wild curls.

She sagged against him, "Gage...oh Gage. You found me. Gage, you found me...you saved me..." she mumbled mindlessly as his hands caressed her hair and back, rubbing away the disgusting feeling of Ramon's hands.

Gage gently brushed his thumb across the break in Sydney's lip, kissing her forehead and temple as he held her, "Shhhh..." he soothed, "I've got you. You're safe...shhhh...Syd...you're okay..."

Her mind flashed back to the case at Tall Cotton when they had finally found Julie and Gage had rescued his sister. He had cradled and soothed his sister much the same way he was soothing his partner now. Safe in the arms of her partner, Sydney let loose a little of her resolve, allowing some tears to fall silently, soaking into the soft flannel of Gage's shirt as she thanked God for the last-second rescue.

Walker withdrew Pepe's set of keys and quickly released his fiancé from her restraints, pulling her tight against him even as he glanced over at his Junior Rangers. He knew that Sydney had probably been raped and that she was going to need to go to the hospital. But he also knew that his youngest Ranger would not appreciate being seen the way she was. Dragging his fingers through Alex's hair, Walker bent over her and turned away from Sydney, leaving the keys on the bed where Gage would find them as he led Alex out of the room.

Alex looked down at the dead body of Ortega and mentally spat on him. Instead of following through with that thought, she said a short prayer for his soul and snuggled closer to the warm, safe body of her future husband. She paused at the front door and looked back toward the room where she had lived with Sydney for several days. She bit her lip and turned to Walker, needing to tell him how Sydney had protected her.

"Walker…it's not Sydney's fault. She protected me, kept Ortega off of me…she…she was going to let Ramon…to…protect me. It's not Sydney's fault!" Alex's voice was desperate now, she didn't know why she felt the need to tell Walker all of this, but it was important, important that he understand that Sydney had done her job, to the best of her ability and beyond, Alex's fingers dug into Walker's arm as her blue eyes begged him to understand, "She even tried to escape, Ortega split her lip for that, and she protected me…gave up her gun to be with me so she could watch over me. You have to understand Walker! She did her job…she let him touch her and would have let him…"

Walker pulled Alex to him in a fierce hug, shushing her, he didn't understand the desperation in her voice - he knew that Sydney had done her job better than anyone else would have, unable to do anything else but hold Alex and soothe her, he offered up his reassurance, "I know darling…I know. You both were very brave. And we're going home. All of us are going home."

Trivette came around the house and spotted Walker and Alex, happiness lifting his spirits as he broke into a run, "Walker! Thank God…I heard the shots and…"

He stopped when he didn't see Gage and Sydney, his brown eyes gazing inquisitively into the blue ones of his mentor and partner. Walker jerked his head over his shoulder toward the house, speaking quietly over Alex's blonde curls, "We're all fine. Gage is taking care of Sydney…"

Trivette stepped closer to his friends, happy and wanting to celebrate, but understanding that he had missed something, more somberly he asked, "Do they need help?"

Walker shook his head so fast that Alex almost laughed; she turned out of her lover's arms and smiled at Trivette, "Jimmy! I missed you."

Trivette let her hug him, hugging her back just as fiercely as he realized how close he had come to losing one of his closest friends. He couldn't help but glance over her head and read the look in Walker's eyes, a distant look that told him something horrible had happened, and they may not have made it completely in time.

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Gage heard Walker leave and unwrapped his body from his partners, she whimpered and arched against him, her hands still handcuffed above her head, her voice was soft and almost too quiet as she pleaded, "Please, don't leave me."

Gage bit back a groan as his partner pressed her naked breasts against his shirtfront, he carefully looked into her big, almond-shaped eyes as he spoke, "I'm just grabbing the keys…to unlock your arms."

Sydney nodded, ashamed that she was so needy, but even the brief separation of her body from his had her ready to hyperventilate from fear. In moments he had her hands unlocked and was carefully massaging her hands to restore circulation. Angry red lines, some a little bloody, slashed across her wrists where she had fought the restraints. Gage couldn't help but feel proud of his partner, she had obviously fought as hard as she could. Gage clung to that pride, even as he fought to restrain the fury that still rose up in him at the thought of what Ramon had done to her.

Sydney tugged her hands away from his and wrapped her arms around his neck, molding herself against his muscled chest as she listened to his heartbeat. She could feel his fury, and it was terrifying, only she knew that it wasn't directed at her. She wanted to soothe him, tell him that he had made it in time, but she wasn't ready to speak just yet. She wasn't ready to deal with everything she knew would happen the moment they walked out of that room. So she clung to her hero like she had never clung to anything before, clung to him and regained her composure, her dignity.

Gage held her lightly, unsure of where to put his hands as she pressed her entire body up against him, he wanted to hold her just as tightly as she held him, but settled for nuzzling her silken hair and inhaling her scent, reassuring himself that his partner was alive and well. The bruises on her breasts and thighs angered him, and he longed to trace his fingers over them, to bring her pleasure where there had been pain...

He pulled her a little tighter against him as he remembered the ominous sound of those two gunshots, "Oh Syd…" he murmured, "I thought I lost you…"

Sydney was slowly becoming more conscious of her nakedness, and she pulled back away from her partner a little, unsure of whether it was better to be tight against his hard angles where he could feel her every curve, or to let him see her so she could find something to wear. She looked up into his face, smirking inwardly as she saw the scruff on his un-shaven face, his blue eyes were bright and shining as they searched her face, seeming to memorize every detail.

She smiled slightly, a sad, hallow smile, and spoke softly as she drank in the details of her hero's face, "I need some clothes…"

Gage quickly peeled himself away from his partner, keeping his eyes on her face as he unbuttoned his flannel and shrugged it off. He carefully wrapped the warm material around her shoulders and waited for her to tuck her arms into the too-long sleeves before buttoning her up.

Sydney closed her eyes as Gage's fingertips brushed over her stomach, her body ached to be touched...she had a momentary flash of her hot body arching beneath the soothing administrations of her partner's capable hands. His naked chest hard against hers as he plunged himself into her...but just as quickly as it was there, she erased it. Gage was her partner. She re-opened her eyes to watch the amused blue ones that she had become so dependent on.

He never looked away from her mahogany eyes as he buttoned her into the safety of his flannel, and when he finished he smiled at her, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face, "Will that do for now?"

Sydney nodded, snuggling up against the soft fabric that smelled musky, like campfires and cologne. She stood up, using Gage's shoulder for support, and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she looked down at Ramon. It was over. Walker, Gage, and Trivette had come, they had saved them. Even as these thoughts went through her mind, Sydney couldn't help but wonder, what if?

Gage saw where his partner's gaze had landed and pulled her tighter against him, feeling her momentarily stiffen before she became pliant in his arms. Soon, Gage swore, he would find out exactly what Ramon had done to his partner, and he would make sure Ramon paid for it.

Sydney buried her face into her partner's t-shirt covered chest for one more moment, mentally and physically preparing herself for the next couple of days. She breathed in the musky scent that was uniquely Gage and sighed, pulling away from him completely.

"I'm ready."

Gage smiled at the steely look in his partner's eyes, this, this was his Sydney. Without thinking he swooped down and brushed a light kiss across her lips, startling them both, "Yes, you are."

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Trivette kept his surprise hidden when Sydney stepped out of Casa Diablo in nothing but Gage's flannel. Realization of the horror's his co-worker may have endured shut him up as she came over and hugged him. A silly smile crossed his face, Sydney had never really hugged him before, and he was even more startled when the lips that so often scolded and scorned, pecked his cheek and whispered a sweet 'thank you' in his ear. He hugged her small body close to his and met Gage's eye over her head, noticing the fury, tenderness, and pain that swirled behind the Junior Ranger's baby blues. Trivette squeezed tighter, hating himself the same way Walker and Gage did, they didn't make it...

Sydney released Trivette, smiling at his goofy grin before turning to Walker, a little shy and more than a little nervous. Never one to back down from a challenge, she looked straight into Walker's eyes, "I'm sorry."

Walker moved away from his fiancé and pulled Sydney to him in a bear hug, the type of hug a father might give to a daughter he is particularly proud of. A lot of emotions had run through Walker's head when he'd learned of the kidnapping – anger, hatred, regret, sorrow, fear – and some of them had been briefly directed at Ranger Cooke, but when he had burst into that room and seen Ramon on top of his youngest Ranger, he had known the truth, which he gruffly whispered to Sydney before pulling away from her, "There is nothing to be sorry about. You saved Alex. You did your job, above and beyond what was required..." he pulled away a bit and looked into Sydney's eyes, knowing well the mask that she was wielding as he whispered, just for her, "Thank you."

Sydney nodded as her Senior Ranger pulled away, glancing up into his eyes one last time before facing her last friend. Alex was standing behind Walker, looking at the ground, and Sydney understood how she felt. Alex had seen her, had seen a side of her that Sydney hadn't even known she'd had. And she had been unable to help, to return the favor of pulling Ramon off of Sydney the way Sydney had pulled Ortega off of her. Alex met her eyes briefly, embarrassed for herself and for her friend, but she didn't see hatred on her friend's strong face...and she opened her mouth in surprise. Fatigue pulled at Sydney, but she knew that she had to set things straight with the only female friend she'd ever really had. She stepped forward and hugged Alex, displaying affection that was rare and new to her. Her hug was fierce, and short, but it said it all. Alex raised her own intense blue eyes to meet hers once again and she smiled half-heartedly. Yeah, Sydney thought as Gage came up behind her, they were going to be alright.

_**Well, I hope you all enjoyed my alternate ending. I always felt that the ending to Casa Diablo was begging for a little more heat…even though it is one of my favorite episodes. If you liked it, hated it, or just plain want to let me know that my writing style is the equivalent of an apes, please let me know via reviews. Even if you just want to say, "good job", please say it. It means a lot to me that you bother to say anything, even if you hated it, or don't have anything constructive to say.**_

_**This was my first 'alternate ending' one-shot, and I really enjoyed working on it. If you liked this story, please check out my other WTR stories, including my own original series, "The Rangers Book One: El Leon" which is the story of how Sydney and Gage first became partners in their nine-month case before they joined Ranger Company B. Thanks all! And as always, I hope you…**_

_**Enjoy the Ride,**_

_**Ckorkows**_


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